Polonium for sale

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 01:56:45 GMT

As any resident of Harrisburg PA (like me) can attest, not all radiation is instantly lethal. I once did some basic research on the effects of a nuclear holocaust and was surprised to learn that even the direct radiation from a modern H-bomb wouldn’t even make you sick three or four miles from ground zero where the dose dramatically tapered off to only a few rads.

Radioactive fallout is quite different than the direct effects. It can travel several hundred miles in a narrow 10-degree swath but its effects are only cumulative. It will kill you over a week of “unprotected exposure” if you are foolish enough to remain where the ash is falling.

In all, some realistic knowledge of radioactivity can help people see both the dangers and the benefits of nuclear materials. The Cassini space probe is the grandest NASA space effort to date and has already revealed many wonders of the Saturian system. All that protesters saw, however, was that is was powered by 70-lbs of plutonium. It was therefore labeled as a horrible threat to humanity at the cape during launch; yet, 500 miles to the north, no one bothered protesting the mere fact that U.S. Ballistic missile submarines regularly head out from Norfolk like clockwork. A single such sub has the destructive power of some 5,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs, not to mention the fact that they have a FAR FAR larger nuclear reactor than Cassini that could endanger sea life if an accident occurred. Heck, I personally wouldn’t mind if NASA made limited and safe use of nuclear engines to greatly lower launch costs.

Even as an environmentalist, I don’t necessarily hate the thought of nuclear power and think that it has a ‘noticeable’ role to play in the world. I also don’t fear the transfer of such waste to a central storage facility because I know how much those travel containers can take. I guess what I do fear out of all of it, is recent recommendations to consolidate all of our nuclear waste (piled up for the last 30 years) in a “temporary” storage facility until they find an adequate permanent facility. To me, such a “temporary warehouse facility” would make an IDEAL first strike target for a rouge nation looking for as much bang for the buck as they can get. Wouldn’t hitting a site like that be far worse that a 1000 Chernobyl’s? Storing such waste in a deep underground facility that can withstand ANYTHING is a must.

Polonium for sale

Will, Seattle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:54:26 GMT

Mysterious indeed.

Polonium for sale

john doe — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:34:37 GMT

Why not just shoot the spy, instead of using a supposedly hard to track poison when in fact it has left radioactive traces all over the place, resto, planes, hotel rooms, etc... It seems like the perpetrators wanted the guy to suffer and know he was going to die... A bullet is much cheaper and untracable... makes you wonder

Polonium for sale

Richard Miller — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:00:05 GMT

Since the radioisotope was found on the airliners that regularly visit Moscow, then it's only a matter of time (and a good spreadsheet) before the Brits isolate their suspects. There are not that many alpha emitters in this world, and polonium produces a very specific radiation signature. A careful analysis (i.e. evidence of gamma) may turn up other radioisotopes that could narrow the souce further, perhaps to the type of facility that produced the material. Moreover, since the isotope has a definite half-life, an analysis of the ratio of polonium to lead (the "daughter" product)of the samples found aboard the airliner would tell researchers when the material was actually produced. Unless diplomatic issues intrude, I believe this is a case that will be solved within a matter of weeks.

Polonium for sale

Jeremy Dunbar, Portland, Oregon — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:31:20 GMT

i find this case interensting in that it obviousely harkens back to the soviet era (poison tipped umbrella?) anyone that thinks the cold war is truly over is not paying attention. russia has a very long history of this type of repression, i.e. killing anyone who disagrees with those in power. add that to the fact that putin was the head of what used to be the kgb and it doesn't surprise me in the least. whether or not putin had anythin to do with mr. litvinenko's death, he doesn't seem to be doing much about it. also there are likely to be many old politicians and bureaucrats who would like to see a return to a soviet style repressive government. i dont think it will be anytime soon, if ever, that we can truly say russia doesnt have any chance of returning to that kind of rule. it is just too ingrained.

Polonium for sale

Dave Keasey, Mons, Belgium — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:09:55 GMT

The StaticMaster brush you refer to in your post has a replacable cartridge that contains 500 microcuries of Po210. It would only take 10 of these (when new, of course) to make up that lethal dose. And I suspect that extraction and conversion of the Po210 from these cartridges into a soluble form would not be all that technically difficult. Very hazardous for the technician, however. Anyway, it's beginning to look like this could possibly have been done by somebody other than a large government that has significant nuclear laboratory resources. DaveK

Polonium for sale

J.C., Fairbanks, AK — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:39:17 GMT

C.E. has done his homework very well and thoroughly; expansion on some of his points should be required reading these days in my opinion. I would like to add a few comments:

(1) Absolutely true that the direct (gamma) radiation isn't the immediate killer in a H-bomb explosion; the 'fallout' is. But most of the fallout is NOT actually stuff that was in the bomb itself; it's stuff that was in close proximity which, intensely bombarded by *several* types of radiation (not just a, b and g) has been 'converted' to radioactive isotopes.

(2): quote: "fact that (nuke subs) have a FAR FAR larger nuclear reactor than Cassini that could endanger sea life if an accident occurred"

And I might add, a MUCH worse safety record...there are several subs full of Uranium and Plutonium on the bottoms of the Atlantic and Pacific...that we know about....

(3) " The Cassini space probe is the grandest NASA space effort to date".
MER 1 and 2, says I . . . .

(4)"has already revealed many wonders of the Saturnian system."
As opposed to the ISS, whose most memorable recent accomplishment is launching a golf ball . . .

(5)"Even as an environmentalist"
As an environmentalist myself I must point out that C.E. seems to represent that segment of environmentalists who are knowledgeable and literate; not the unreasonable, knee-jerk, 'radiation is death' -types.

(6)"Storing such waste in a deep underground facility that can withstand ANYTHING is a must."
Sorry C.E., I doubt this will EVER be a concern to the sheep until something *really* bad happens. Then everyone will demand: 'why wasn't something done!!' (though 'they' won't have a clue what *something* they're talking about....).

Polonium for sale

Geiger Tripper — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 08:23:33 GMT

Kinda reminds me of the good ol'days at Rocky Flats.

Polonium for sale

Steven Den Beste, Beaverton, Oregon — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:05:41 GMT

I believe you may be making a mistake of assuming that all polonium is isotope 210. Since isotope 210 has a half-life of only 138 days, that seems unlikely. I would suggest that most of the applications you're talking about are isotope 208, with a half-life of 2.8 years, or isotope 209, with a half-life of 103 years.

Polonium for sale

Dee, Lyon France — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:48:52 GMT

Polonium has an intriguing historical context for this current day spy thriller. Polonium was discovered by Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie and named after Marie's native land of Poland (Latin: Polonia). Poland at the time was under Russian, Prussian and Austrian domination, and not recognized as an independent country. Madame Curie hoped that naming the element after her native land would bring attention to Poland's plight. Polonium is perhaps the first element named to draw attention to a political controversy.

Polonium for sale

James_uk — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:48:35 GMT

This story will run and run. Watch it.

Polonium for sale

Doug, Buffalo, NY — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:54:53 GMT

Actually, some of those anti-static elements contain up to 500 microcuries of the stuff,usually plated onto gold foil. That's 5000x more than those $69 samples. assuming they were fresh, and one could isolate 100% of the polonium content from each, it shouldn't take more than 10 of them, at a total cost of less than $1000.00 , to kill a guy. Of course, that is no reason to try to ban the stuff, as some have suggested, rat poison, insecticides, bullets, and even cyanide are a lot cheaper and more straightforward and will leave the guy just as dead.

Polonium for sale

Bob Trabosh Media Pa — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:06:44 GMT

Great article. It was very informative and led to many other locations.

Polonium for sale

Shannon, Lexington KY — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:16:59 GMT

Chris Eldridge has some wonderful comments (above.)Knowledge is truly a power that can save your life in a crisis and keep you from making poor decisions. One of the greatest challenges of the times is to find ways to recycle nuclear waste. It creates tremendous hazards when it accumulates at power plant sites. We can't just keep storing away stuff in our mountains forever at tremendous expense. Even the safest underground sites are subject to earthquakes and other disasters. Let's find ways to reward our finest young minds for developing the solutions.

Polonium for sale

Dean A. Markley, Lancaster PA — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:44:24 GMT

A few clarifications on the comments by Chris Eldridge of Harrisburg, PA (and I am only 20 miles south). First, that narrow 10 degree swath for fallout is highly dependent on burst altitude AND weather patterns.

The Cassini probe did not contain a nuclear reactor. Rather it used the thermal heat from decaying plutonium to directly generate electricity. The plutonium was ceramic encased and even a catastrophic lauch failure would be unlikely to rupture the source.

US Ballistic missile subs don't sortie regularly from Norfolk. The sub base is much further south at Kings Bay, GA. Part of the reason you might not see protests is the US Navy's excellent safety record in handling nuclear reactors. There's a lot the cicilian side could learn there. Heck, why not let the Navy run the civilian reactors?

I have to disagree with a nuclear waste facility being an "ideal" first strike target. You'd get more "bang" targeting a city, as horrible as that sounds. But yes, the waste should be stored underground, and the proposed facility at Yucca will do just that. As far as withstanding "anything"? That's just not possible.

Polonium for sale

Bill Brant — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:57:57 GMT

Radiation must be understood, not feared.

Polonium for sale

Gene Jackson, Bloomington, MN — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:04:37 GMT

If it takes a substantial amount of this substance to make someone sick, it must be someone with a lot of access that perpetrated this act.

Polonium for sale

Imran Ahmed, Lawrence, USA — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:06:04 GMT

Does anyone think the British are making a big fuss over this to distract attention from the problems in Iraq?

Initially they said the man had been given thallium then radioactive thallium and then whatever...the story keeps changing.

Poor Putin was blamed on the man's deathbed, yet one report said the dying man blamed a trusted Italian contact of his.

How can on be expected to believe what should have been a hush hush job now turns out into a very public one with 12 known contaminated sites, 4 airplanes suspected, and possibly 33,000 people or more put at risk?

Another "Niger" style story has become a tale from Arabian Nights!

Polonium for sale

Amy Robillard, Bellows Falls, VT — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:07:19 GMT

The comment from Chris Eldridge is an excellent one. Too little knowledge is an extremely dangerous thing, as by now we all know through the Iraq fiasco. If someone could put together a comprehensive explanation that could be printed in booklet form or on the net, in newspapers, etc., with enough explanation to educate without teaching bright kids how to do naughty things with the stuff, I think a lot of people would be interested. I know next to nothing about nuclear power and the way Chris presented it, acknowledging the problems along with the benefits instead of glossing over what you don't want people thinking about, was just the ticket.

Polonium for sale

Rich, Chicago, Illinois — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:13:35 GMT

So why didn't they treat him with the Rifle Colorado anti bacteria bacteria that is used in Rifle Colorado on the spent fuel rods?

Polonium for sale

Will Mullins — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:20:21 GMT

When the academy of Scientists made the statement that no threshold was below radiation causing cancer, I think we all need to be very carful in what we do about any radiation, with the amount of radiation we receive each day from normal activities, we do not need any more exposure. Each human body is different in what amount of radiation it can with stand, some people can stand much more exposure than others, to be safe, we must use the lowest levels of exposure possiable to protect the public. If we had one burp from a nuclear power plant actually measured( AND THESE BURPS DO OCCURE) we would have enough radiation to eventually kill hundreds of people, but the public is not warned of this, We need better information on the affects of radiation on the public. we are heading for disaster with nuclear powered industry

Polonium for sale

Dale S. Dorsey — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:32:20 GMT

It's all G.W.B.'s fault. And I'm quite certain Dick Cheney & Haliburton are in on it as well.

Polonium for sale

Cain Abel, Saint Paul, Minnesota — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:40:24 GMT

Isn't this the declared war of criminal Berezovski against Russia? Not every one in the West is that stupid to think that Kremlin would waste a penny on a former moll.

Polonium for sale

James, Savannah, Georgia — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:44:58 GMT

The invisible nature of radiation is, to me, most of what makes it so frightening. In the event of a release of harmful radiation, if you could detect it with your own senses, you might at least have a chance of avoiding it. The helplessness the threat of radiation exposure induces in the psyche is, I believe, as dangerous as the radiation itself.

Polonium for sale

Albert Barsamian — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:49:10 GMT

We have gone too far, too fast,too soon. The more advanced we get, the more destruction we cause. Environmentally,morally,physically,and socially. God help all humanity, we need it now.

Polonium for sale

Joe, a commoner, Maschussetts — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:55:28 GMT

Chris,

I do possess a basic, perhaps even intermediate knowledge of radiation and nuclear power.

To say that 3 or 4 miles wouldn’t make you sick, and fall-out is lethal, try not to forget what an atomic bomb of any kind is supposed to do: KILL

To not acknowledge this is absurd.

And no one should side step the fact that if you happen to be present for a nuclear blast, 3 or 4 miles out, the odds of you getting cancer from the 'initial' radiation burst and the radioactive windblast generated by such a blast are pretty good.

But this is not the problem. Despite your thoughtful and intelligent argument, the problem and fact is this:

Nuclear power and Nuclear Power waste by-products in the wrong hands can be, demonstrated as such, lethal, PERIOD.

Britain’s Astronomer Royal wrote a book called 'The 7 numbers' (forgive me now, I am plagiarizing) and in this book he describes one of these 7 numbers as the energy required to permit/encourage the fusion of atoms. It happens all the time in the heart of our SUN where it converts Hydrogen to Helium. If this number were too low, then fusion would be rampant and happen everywhere all the time. If this number were too high, then fusion would never happen and the universe would be a vast primordial cloud of hydrogen.

Nuclear Fission is the process of splitting atoms. As I understand it, mankind has yet to develop a reactor that will re-energize the spent nuclear fuel by re-fusing it back into viable fissionable material for current Nuclear Power Reactors. So the current process of generating electricity using Nuclear Power has a lethal by-product that cant be used and must be stored DEEP underground so that we can protect generations of society and the environment.

How long should we continue to produce such lethal substances before we say, "Ok, people are being killed with the stuff we’ve got too much of."?

When will it be enough?

When will common sense prevail?

The evil that men do live on...

Polonium for sale

Dana King, Frederick MD — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:24:32 GMT

If you read the latest 'Arkady Renko' novel by Martin Cruz Smith, you will note the method of murdering a couple people is poisoning by lethal ingestion of microscopic amounts of a radioactive substance, gleaned from the ruins of Chernobyl; several years before 9/11, Tom Clancy had a 747 laden with fuel fly into the Capitol during a presidential address to a joint session of Congress, in one of his 'Jack Ryan' novels....As they say in the pulp-fiction trade, "As gripping as today's headlines...!" It does begin to look as though our worst-case imaginings are not a question of 'if', but merely of 'when'....

Polonium for sale

Nyle, Boise ID — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:24:57 GMT

A very interesting article. It's refreshing to see a clear, objective explaination of a little known radioactive substance. I could rant for pages about how much better our environment would be today if more of our energy needs were met by nuclear power instead of gas or coal, and maybe even hydro (dams destroy fish).

Polonium for sale

Chris Wright, Champaign, Il — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:27:55 GMT

Radioactive static eliminators were available for industrial applications one of the most well known US manufacturers as far back as 1977 without any incidents related to their use, availability or manufacture, documenting the safety of the application.

Polonium for sale

R.Scott Howe, Hettinger, ND — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:48:10 GMT

As a fellow enviromentalist, I agree with Chris, nuclear is the only hope for the future and managing the risks without all the hype is tough. Accidents happen in the oil industry, remember the Exxon Valdez?I remember a physics professor stating the ultimate polution is thermal. Not the green house type but heat generated by end use solar, geothermal, nuclear and hyrocarbons (negating the carbon cycle).What he was saying is all energy polutes and the only solution to polution is dilution. A lethal dose of polonium-210 can be diluted. RScott

Polonium for sale

J Erickson — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:17:20 GMT

How dare you interrupt public hysteria with facts!

Polonium for sale

Alan Boyle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:41:16 GMT

It looks as if static brushes using polonium-210 are still being sold, if I'm reading this ad right:

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?
pid=1818&kw=Anti-Static&st=2

"It's a very practical substance," the blurb says. However, I do believe Steven (see above) is correct in saying that the Po-210 would decay, meaning that you'd have progressively less polonium and more lead. Here's more on the uranium decay chain:

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/chain.htm

Thanks so much for all your great comments. It's very cool to see so many smart people adding to the discussion.

Polonium for sale

axle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:43:42 GMT

have a friend that is a russian jew, he has always stated watch out for russia they can't be trusted no matter what. they have an agenda.

Polonium for sale

Tom Wagner — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:47:28 GMT

Several months ago, Scientific American has a fascinating article on fast-breeder reactors. Our current generation of nuclear power plants extract less than 1% of the energy from the uranium fuel, leaving 99% as highly radioactive, but useless fuel rods. The fast-breeder on the other hand, actually extract more power and can then be reprocessed into more fuel rods, plus short half-life radioactive waste. Reusing like this, you can extract maybe 80% or more of the energy from the original uranium and be left with only short half-life radioactive wastes that will become inert in just a century or so instead of the thousands of years for the current fuel rod waste.

Polonium for sale

Dave Keasey, Mons, Belgium — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:17:41 GMT

Oh, my! I didn't realise that the Po210 is just plated onto gold foil. That basically means that extraction of the Po210 would be almost trivial, on a technical basis. And I agree with the previous poster that it probably wouldn't take even 10 of these to make up a lethal dose. DaveK

Polonium for sale

Doug, Buffalo, NY — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:21:28 GMT

Here is a 31 millicurie source for $229:

http://www.ricelake.com/docs/
viewProduct.php?productID=91906

That's 31,000 microcuries. 62 times what's in the staticmaster brushes, and properly prepared, enough to do in 10 big men. Looks like the theory that it had to be a state actor with access to a nuclear reactor might have some holes in it.

Polonium for sale

R R Fort Lauderdale, FL — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:21:34 GMT

There isn't a whole lot we can do about naturally occuring radiation, but putting it in products that almost anybody can buy seems unbelievable to me. I can't believe that people make statements like "Such radiation poses a negligible external hazard, because it penetrates only a few cells deep" and "It's physically bound to that substrate, so it's not possible to mechanically remove it". Skin cancer starts with one cell and it can and does kill. People on a mission of destruction have extremest personalities and will take 3, 4 or 10 years to create something to harm others. Radioactive materials being bonded to substrate is no guarantee...terrorists can simply get most of the inert ingredients from around the radioactive material and then bond it to some explosives and set it off in a city or other congested area. Manmade radioactive material should be controlled by the government only. If you need to calibrate radiation detection devices, you should have to send them to a government facility. Nothing radio active should be put in consumer products that can potentially be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. The only way we can come close to controlling this is that all governments agree to 100% control of all radioactive materials, this way we know that there is less of a chance of these materials falling in the wrong hands. Even governments such as Iran's are likely responsible with these materials, so we don't have to agree on everything, but we do all have to agree on this.

On another note, there was a recent article that said there may be no fish left in the oceans by the middle of this century. Imagine if there is a nuclear accident in one of our oceans. This poison would spread around the world and there is no way to clean it up. Most sea life would die out in a few years and all would be inedible. Many millions would die in a very short time and there would be nothing that anyone could do. `Nonsense you may say! If it happens it will be hopeless for most if not all. This may sound like a sci fi movie, but one nuclear sub contains enough radioactive material to poison the worlds oceans beyond repair. It would be a similar situation to the mass extiction of the dinosaurs, but much quicker. We must turn to clean alternative fuels such as wind and solar, and quit dumping of toxic wastes. We are at a crossroad here and now, so lets move ourselves to the next level by removing toxins from our environment and changing potential extinction level hazards over to environment friendly technology. We can start by creating a world law to outlaw nuclear powered submarines. The technology exists to find submarines so why do we need them. How about detection devices powered by the oceans currents and solar energy. If you can't trust some countries, it will be fairly easy to spot them building a nuclear sub or any sub for that matter. The World's nations would agree to drop a few hundred pounds of conventionals on it before the nuclear engine is installed and they are done. You could even warn them by giving a day and time so nobody gets hurt...their not going to just move it. Let's lose the "WE ARE BUILDING AN EMPIRE" attitude and move toward peaceful defense and clean our air, water and soil so we all can live healthier longer lives.

A healthy economy fueled buy new and environmentally friendly technologies would create jobs and industries not yet realized. These technologies would create jobs in nearly every industry and at every level. We have been talking about this for years and even though these technologies have advanced, it seems like nothing is happening.

Sorry if I rambled too long, but one thing leads to another! Oh, and I feel badly that it seems politics and poison have come together to kill Alexander Litvinenko who probably had friends that were family of the person that ordered the hit...such treachery.

Polonium for sale

Brian , Santa Cruz CA — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:24:48 GMT

I agree that Nuke power seems to be the short term answer, but it is just a band-aid. The real solution is LIFESTYLE CHANGE! I know it sounds "Hippy", but it is true. We need to reduce our impact. In the short term, nuke power will suffice, but what happens 500 years down the road when humanity has all the Active waste to deal with, we dont really think sweeping our mess under the bed makes it go away do we? Ride a bike, turn off your lights, change your house to solar, buy local food, there are a lot more less dangerous ways to help our environment than changing our power sources....but they do need to change. I just think nuke is AN answer, but not THE answer.

Polonium for sale

Jim, Long Island NY — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:26:12 GMT

this thread reminds me of the tale of the "radioactive boy scout"

http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html

Polonium for sale

Nathan E., Webster, SD — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:29:30 GMT

Either way we look at this situation with the polonium210, we are going to see more of it. Not only will there be more contaminated sights but if this is all stemming from Russia we all can imagine the worst outcome, Iran seeking or using this as a weapon. We all know that Russia is and has been selling nuclear and missile technology to Iran. Well my friends the way Mahmoud Ahmedenijad talks about end of days and his relevance to prophecies in bible and or the Quran he is coming closer to fulfilling this end of the tail. For one the gathering of military powers in the holy land(babylon a.d) present day Baghdad. The coming of the antichrist or false prophet(Dr. Ahmedenijad) I guess you all can use your imagination were i am going with this. He can and he will use the resources from Putin the ex-KGB head and use it to strike Israel. That is my thought, we have yet only begun to see this new type of warfare.

Polonium for sale

trout wench, Los Alamos, NM — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:48:33 GMT

To Geiger Tripper - It does remind one of the days at Rocky Flats..

Polonium for sale

Ida Knowes — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:55:25 GMT

Embrace the radition and be free...

Polonium for sale

Kiril Chukanov, Sandy, Utah — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:57:26 GMT

Many of the former KGB agents in Russia (and other former Soviet satelites)became rich busynesmen. Those amoral people are controlling economical and political life in these countries. Many of them emigrated to West (like Boris Bereziovsky and Boris Abramovich). Unfortunatelly the West protect them. I'm absolutelly certain that the death of Litvienko is a result of the war inside Russian Mafia. Those people use the dirty methods of former KGB.

Polonium for sale

Pete M — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:00:24 GMT

Disappointing that the article's author and editor chose to categorize the death of the man as "...the Litvinenko effect." It'd be much more responsible to state "the deleterious effect that killed Litvinenko."

Polonium for sale

tom woonsocket ri — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:05:46 GMT

I wished i was doused with nuclear material so i can have special powers and become a cuper hero!

Polonium for sale

Foma Distrustful — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:07:10 GMT

Dear Axle, Please ask UN before trusting Jews, whatever they say. They will definitely tell you that they cannot be trusted. Our friend Ahmadinejad, who sent a wonderful letter to American people states the same.

Polonium for sale

Joe Q. Public — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:24:33 GMT

Does anybody know if polonium has the same biological side effect of giving garlic breath as tellurium, which appears in the same column as Po in the periodic table? see "tellurium breath" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tellurium

Polonium for sale

Alan Boyle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:26:03 GMT

Interesting post on the Staticmaster ionizers ... but it wouldn't be easy to get the polonium out, based on this description:

http://www.amstat.com/problems.html

"The isotope is pressure welded by a patented process into a multi-layer gold and silver foil that is insoluble and inert in most chemicals. The physical properties of gold and silver provide excellent resistance to oxidation and corrosion. Because the isotope is an integral part of the foil, it is vibration and impact resistant."

Polonium for sale

Honza P, Birmingham, AL — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:30:27 GMT

Seems to me that one reaqson to poison using Polonium rather than high speed lead is to make it clear to other potential targets exactly who is doing the killing. Since having a raving madman pin a note to Litvinenko's body the way an Islamist did to Theo Van Gogh's was unacceptable to Moscow, one can imagine this ahving the same effect while still allowing enough deniability to avoid the consequences. one certainly hopes not, but it would not be an unreasonable outcome for Moscow to get all of the deterrent effect but relatively little blowback.

Polonium for sale

mormon_saint, central Missouri — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:33:13 GMT

Hmmm, I my self have to question the murder aspect of the whole thing, and have to wonder if the late Litvinenko was not involved in smugling the polonium. As other's have mentioned there are much easier ways to murder someone, and much less dangerous to those trying to carry out that murder. Anyone, in trying to poison Litvinenko with the polonium, would put their own person at great risk in trying to do so. Also I would have to question, if Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium, would it result in several airliners and a dozen or more locations having detectable amounts of polonium. Seems to me that he came in contact with a sizable amount of it to track it all over the place. Or that he had a sizable amount on his person. Maybe he was a courier of the polonium with out knowledge of it and inadvertantly exposed him self to it with out knowing.

Polonium for sale

Ben Roberts, St. Louis, MO — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:45:18 GMT

The poster above who mentioned that "no radioactive materials should be put into consumer products" is disturbingly misinformed. You can kill someone 1000 times cheaper with cleaning products or pointy things. This reaction to "evil" consumer radioactive products is one spawned clearly out of fear and ignorance.

The fact is that alpha particles are only harmful if ingested. It's rather handy that they only penetrate a few cell-layers deep, because, hey, the first few cell-layers of your skin are already dead. What are you gonna do, kill em again?

Get informed before you start banning radioactive products. One example out of many: smoke alarms help a hell of a lot more people than they hurt. Good luck getting those banned.

Polonium for sale

BG, Scottsdale, AZ USA — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:46:58 GMT

To R R in Fort Lauderdale:

What you are saying is that we shouldn't have radioactive materials because we can't trust our fellow man? When, in the history of man, could you ever trust all your fellow men? Perhaps we should just shed our clothes and head back to the caves?

The notion of "creating a world law to outlaw nuclear powered submarines" is a bit flawed in my opinion. Who would enforce this "world law," especially if we also enforce the "Let's lose the 'WE ARE BUILDING AN EMPIRE' attitude"!!!

And regarding "Imagine if there is a nuclear accident in one of our oceans. This poison would spread around the world and there is no way to clean it up."....how many nuclear subs do you think are lying around on the ocean floor? Last time I was in the ocean I saw fish swimming around. By what mechanism is this poison to be spread around the world? I must have missed that memo.

Polonium for sale

sick of conflict, USA — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:50:00 GMT

Can people please have a conversation without rhetoric? Foma Distrustful, whoever you are, you should not use a scientific discussion to air your personal biases.

Polonium for sale

Dave Keasey, Mons, Belgium — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:50:23 GMT

Trust me on this... talk to any halfway decent chemist, especially someone who does inorganic analysis, and you'll find that even gold and platinum can be dissolved. The process is trivial, but does take time, patience, the right reagents, and usually a bit of heat.

DaveK

Polonium for sale

Peace Corps — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:51:32 GMT

Radiation downwind form our 50's nuke testing, Nevada, killed 10's of thousands of children (see PSR (physicians for social responsibility) publication in, think it was 1999) from Iodine 131. The Department of "Defense" lied about the downwind risk. It would be, in my opinion, more germane to world's problems to expose this and related crimes of "war games" than the likes of what people are concerned about here. Why does our "government" allow the tobacco companies to modify tobacco to increase addictive power, and kill half million people a year, many non smokers, and many birth defects caused by tobacco. enuf of my bs

Polonium for sale

Doug, Buffalo, NY — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:53:51 GMT

Regarding the Staticmasters, getting the polonium out shouldn't present too much of a problem to anyone who paid attention in chemistry class. You'll notice that it says the gold foil is insoluble in most chemicals, not all. An easily available mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids commonly called aqua regia will do the job. You'd end up with a mixture of acid, gold chloride and polonium chloride and polonium nitrate, in a small enough volume to disguise in someone's drink. There would certainly be a hazard to anyone attempting this, but I think if one took reasonable precautions it would be doable. However I don't think this makes these anti-static devices unreasonably dangerous. Lots of household things will kill you if misused. There is enough nicotine in a pack of cigarettes to kill five men. A big bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol could do in ten. Er, please don't try any of this at home.

Polonium for sale

Alan Boyle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:00:13 GMT

For that matter, if you're looking for a radioactive source, Fiestaware might be a better place to start than Staticmasters. Here's a story I did a couple of years ago about one man's crusade against uranium tiles in old bathrooms and schools:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077213/

Polonium for sale

Foma — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:45:51 GMT

Dear Sick of Conflicts!

Unfortunately you misread me.

It is an irony, not a bias.

Life is too dangerous to take it seriously, guys. :-)

As to the root of the matter I am almost sure we will never know who killed Litvinenko, but it is almost certainly an FSB/KGB serviceman. We will definitely know if somebody directly involved defects as in good old 'Soviet' days (it is an irony again, not a bias)

Thomas (Foma) Distrustful

Polonium for sale

Mary of Florida — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:48:58 GMT

Years after the three mile island incident I relocated to Florida. But the outflow of radioactive agents did touch my family. We lost our second dad, his son to cancer. Two of my sisters & myself were pregnant at the time w/our 1st child of which we each saw some unusual complications in birth & the child up to adulthood. We are praying no more cancer will show up. Suddenly they are trying to install nuclear power plant close to my home in Florida because it will draw jobs. THEY NEVER LEARN. The HORROR of the hours after the three mile island release had us all crying & terribly scared, even the bosses @ our workplaces! We hear too there were untold emissions years before of nuclear gas too. No wonder the fish & birds died in the river area around the incident! Not a believer in Nuclear ability until it can be truely determined as safe, not a smoke screen by those wishing to fill their wallets!@

Polonium for sale

bill knowle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:03:39 GMT

"the only solution to polution is dilution" Cut the current 6,528,089,562 population in half! That should do the trick.

Polonium for sale

R R Fort Lauderdale, FL — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:38:14 GMT

I usually don't respond because it is difficult to cover all of your bases when writing in here, so here it goes.

BG...When the sub is compromised it will poison the oceans...maybe not in our life time, but maybe your grandsons. As for, "WE ARE BUILDING AN EMPIRE' attitude"!!! Empires do what they want without regard for what their friends think or say. That is why we are in Iraq and our friends hate us...Thanks GWB. Try to think United Nations and NATO. All of us acting together for the good of the planet's people...this is not an Empire mentality, it is a socially acceptable way for the worlds majority to deal with issues that threaten the good of most. GWB had to finish daddy's work and take control of the oil and , hey let's charge outrageous gas prices so my buddies can get rich and we can pay for the Iraq situation. Oh, Exxon has posted record profits the last 2 quarters and you did notice that gas prices went down just before the elections and back up after the Republicans (I happen to be one) lost...welcome to the empire. I believe people before parties! To sum it up, I'm a US guy not an Empire guy.

Most people have a problem thinking in future terms. This could maybe be considered a "Cave Man" mentality because it is simple thought to only think in the here and now. That is why I say get rid of radioactive material as much as possible now and continue to move forward with new safe technologies like solar and wind...read "not back to the caves, but to the future." Why do you think that we have excelled in some technologies like computers and medicine, but we are still dependent on oil? it is a political cash based issue. All the good ole boys in the government have their pockets lined with our money that was used to pay the electricity and fuel bills you have every month. This includes oil, gas and nuclear. if every house that is built from this day forward had some form of alternative energy in it, the losses to these companies and the government in their present form would be drastic. None are willing to make the change really happen, so i guess it is up to us. The benefits to us and the builders and solar/alternative energy product manufacturers would be hugely beneficial. Germany is building factories with their own solar grids. China is investing tons of money in solar and other technologies. Australia has invested money in a design that will use huge mirrors to reflect light on to a solar tower enabling a small town in the middle of the outback to be self sufficient. Brazil is mixing 60%plus ethanol in to there fuel to reduce dependency on foreign oil. Eventually, this may lead to a cleaner burning form of energy.

Ben ... I see you believe in being informed, so the link to Wikipedia will help you understand Gamma Rays and their ability to pass through dense material which includes the human skull (no insult to you).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_ray

As far as the smoke thing goes, get a dog. They are all natural and will also warn you of intruders and the only thing they emit is occasional natural gas and body odor(mostly when they get wet). None of it is harmful to your health. The benefit of a happy face when you come home is always a pleasure too.

By the way, there seems to be a major rise in cancers. My step father died from it and I know so many who have gotten it. I wonder if that smoke detector is one of the culprits. There is an option to the radioactive type detector and it is considered generally better. Check out the link below.

http://www.iicph.org/docs/radioactive_fire_detectors.htm

Please see the paragraph below which is also located on the site link above. It was written by Rosalie Bertell, Ph.D., GNSH and posted on the International Institute of Concern for Public Health's website.

Dr. Bartell states, "The main hazard of the ionizing type detector is the radioactive component, usually Americium 241, which has a half-life of 458 years. Radium 226 has a half-life of 1600 years. Americium is a waste product from nuclear reactors; it is encapsulated inside of the detector, but may become available for ingestion or inhalation through the gradual deterioration of its packaging when discarded in a landfill or after its release during an actual fire. It is easily absorbed into the body from the lungs or intestines, and can cause cancer and genetic injury or can have general negative effects on health. This will inevitably be a greater hazard to future generations rather than our own, since it is encapsulated on a ceiling fixture for our short period of use." (Dr. Bartell)

Heh, looks like we can poison our ancestors for many centuries to come...leave our mark as "The Most Irresponsible Age". I can just hear it now, "Hey Mom, do you know that people in "The Most Irresponsible Age" dumped trillions of batteries on a small island in the Pacific Ocean and it poisoned the water with Mercury". "It says that the largest consumer of the worlds resources, bullied the leadership of the island so they could continue dumping the batteries even after they were told that the island was uninhabitable and it was poisoning the ocean." "The American response was that you will take the batteries along with the big fat check we've been giving you every month because it is the American way and Americans expect no less." "And at the same time Americans were doing this, they started eating more fish because they thought it was healthy." "Mom, I think they were idiots or maybe they were poisoned and they couldn't think straight." "It also says that they left weapons of mass destruction in nuclear powered submarines on the ocean floor." "Yes honey, but there is no longer life in the oceans so we don't have to worry about that."

By the way, I went to college to become a Radiation Therapist and after research and observation hours, I dropped out. You have to walk around with a badge that adds up your exposure and when it gets to a certain level, you can't work anymore for a determined amount of time. You also don't get paid in most cases. This happens even though there is 10 feet of concrete and other materials between you and the patient getting the treatment. Also, most people that receive radiation treatment do not live anyway. If I remember correctly, about 67% of people that receive it, die anyway (Please don't take this as fact...I've been exposed). I wonder if they would have had a better chance without it.

Don't get me wrong, I think there are some cases where radiation is being used for the greater good, but we do have technologies that are safe or safer and they are not being tapped because of political interests and the availability of raw and waste radioactive material. That's one reason why Alexander Litvinenko was killed and as of today, it seems another person connected to him was poisoned. If all of this is connected to the Russian government, than it likely will be traced back as was stated by Richard Miller above.

Final word, "I'M ON YOUR SIDE!"

Polonium for sale

Roger, Illlinois — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:54:43 GMT

The answer to all of the power problems is COAL!

Polonium for sale

F. King - Vancouver, Canada — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:58:00 GMT

It's amazing to me that so many intelligent personae have responded in the above letters. It made for extremely interesting reading. It's just so sad that people with such intelligence have such spelling problems. (And me an immigrant...)

Polonium for sale

Alan Boyle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:19:10 GMT

Here's a note from my good friend Richard Miller, one of our CLUB Club authors:

"Alan,

"You're the best science writer on the planet, but a lot of people get confused about curies (including the writers of my favorite show, 'Heroes'). Curies is a measure not of intensity but of *activity* . . . that is, how often in a given time period does the material in question produce a unit of radiation. A nano Curie of activity means that 32 'events' occur per second -- each producing a radiation specific to the isotope. Now, the radiation may be a weak beta particle (as with strontium-90) or it may be a powerful gamma ray (as with cobalt 60). Or, as in the case of polonium-210 (and americium-241, curium-242, etc) an alpha particle. The greater the nanocuries (or picocuries, etc) the greater the activity -- which usually translates to the greater amount of isotope present. As an example, 100 nanocuries of Sr-90, produces only weak betas, so no big deal. But being exposed to 100 nanocuries of Po-210 IS a big deal because it produces alpha particles, which are WAY more damaging that run-of-the-mill betas.

"Yeah, I'm the guy who wrote the 'Dreamer' book, but I also wrote 5 books on nuclear fallout. Trust me on this one.

"Best Regards (as always), Richard Miller"

http://www.260press.com
http://www.legis.com

Of course I've changed the errant word to "activity." To learn more about "Dreamer," check this out:

http://groups.msn.com/AlanBoylesCosmicLog/clubclub.msnw?
action=get_message&mview=1&ID_Message=571

Polonium for sale

Doug Waschow — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:29:54 GMT

Well, baudizzle. I guess the ruskies have gotten smart over the years. It was a tigold smart move to poison the ex-spy with Polonium because it will never be able to be traced to origin. Once inside the body, it turns a person's insides to a kind of goo until it decays and is not longer a threat. Only problem is that with trace elements in the airplanes, it will be easy to track the probable destination. More later. [...]

Polonium for sale

Martin Nelson, La Porte, TX — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:34:18 GMT

Is it possible to use a solar plant to despose of nuclear waste? If so, a plant that can generate the sun's power would be a clean, efficient, and a more environmentally friendly way to do so. Not to mention that it would probably be cheaper in the long run.

Polonium for sale

my name is Billy Waddle — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:35:08 GMT

The End of Days are coming soon. This is unacceptable secrecy.

Polonium for sale

Alan Sheets, Loveland CO — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:01:30 GMT

Forget this polonium stuff. This article here -- http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html -- tells me exactly how to convert lantern mantles and smoke detectors into Uranium 233, which can be made several types of usable weapons.

Polonium for sale

the republican right — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:23:00 GMT

Sit back. Close your eyes. Good. You are getting sleepy very sleeeeepy. Radiation is good...so very good for you...

Polonium for sale

JC, Fairbanks, AK — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:25:07 GMT

To Shannon of LX, KY, Bill Brant, and Sick of Conflict, USA:
Hear, hear!!!

To Amy R. of my home state:
Definitely! But things related to radiation have become so politicized and polarized that *very few* people get a real education on the subject, without accompanying 'indoctrination'. At VTs biggest U, we used radioactives in at least 2 different lab experiments for undergrads, where I hope we taught many students the realities of such. When I taught them, I used to take the class up the hall to the room we stored the sources in, where we would meet the professor responsible for radiation safety, and they'd watch as we each put our key in the door and turned it. They couldn't come inside, but the point was that *this* time we were dealing with something that really IS dangerous (though it was just In113, if I remember right). But then learned that if handled intelligently and knowledgebly could be dealt with safely. The reality is that in the course of E&M lab they dealt with things (electricity, liquid N2, very strong magnets...) much more dangerous.

To Joe of Mass.: If 3-4 miles from an H-bomb explosion, your problems are bigger than radiation...but technically C.E. is correct.

To Dana King: Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton are not credible sources of scientific information.

To RScottHowe: "remember the Exxon Valdez?" Indeed I do. Yet, to-date, no one damaged by it has been compensated. Look it up.

To Axel: ...and the method smacks of cold war Warsaw Pact tactics....

To RR of Florida: "putting it in products that almost anybody can buy seems unbelievable to me". If you have smoke detectors in your house, you probably have Americium241 too. Radon 'outgasses' naturally from concrete. The point being that for some applications radioactivity isn't avoidable. But if you lived in a mountain state, you'd get far more radiation from the "background" than from your smoke detector.

"Let's lose the "WE ARE BUILDING AN EMPIRE" attitude" I would add the "we are the world police" attitude to this....

Just a guess, but Kiril sounds like he might now what he's talking about. From his basic website, it looks like he's interested in a fascinating possible source of energy. For more look up "Casimir Effect" and "Zero Point Energy"....

To BG of Scottsdale: "Who would enforce this "world law,"" Presumably those who HAVE nuclear submarines ...

To Peace Corps: "enuf of my bs" Why? Hearing what other people think is mainly why I read CosmicLog.

To Alan Boyle: Neat article; I'd never heard of this. Here's one for you: ever heard of the N-sub reactor shielding that got made into tableware when it was scrapped?

To Thomas Distrustful: "almost certainly an FSB/KGB serviceman" or ex-such, gone mercenary. Some people I knew in the US service did this. Can't stand the amoral m****-f*****s.

To Bill Knowle: Ah, the "Kodos" solution (sorry, I *am* a Trekkie...).

Polonium for sale

JC, Fairbanks, AK — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:36:50 GMT

"How dare you interrupt public hysteria with facts!"

- J Erickson

Flippancy aside, J.E. makes a very important point. Despite many scientist's wishes to the contrary, science doesn't exist in a vacuum. In my view, communication with everyone else is a MAJOR failing of science. Misconceptions about radiation are a classic example....

Polonium for sale

Don't buy into Liberal Hysteria about Radiation — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:50:59 GMT

Very informative article, I appreciate the unbiased information the author has presented here. I am very interested in the events that will unfold with this tragedy, if they ever do publicize the truth.

I wondered how long it would take for the people who are afraid of anything nuclear to freak out and start thinking about radioactive things available to the public and start pointing fingers about American nuclear responsibility.

I tend to agree with the "people kill people attitude", and not to get caught up in the "our government needs to ban this or that". I am tired of hearing about how our American government needs to do anything frankly. I think they need to back off, and let citizens take care of and be responsible for themselves. I don't want to live in a nation where we don't regulate our own personal actions. I think that's called socialism.

Alexander Litvinenko was eliminated by someone who ordered his death. That was the topic at hand, wasn't it? I doubt that someone went to much trouble of buying consumer-based radioactive product and processed it down to do it. It would have been easier to stab him in a crowd, and leave a note calling him a traitor.

He was killed by ingesting a high purity grade of Polonium 210. Easily obtained, (if you are government-related military such as KGB), as a nuclear warhead trigger, or satellite battery material. Since we are talking about a defecting KGB spy, wouldn't it be pretty feasible to connect the dots back to the KGB and military grade stuff here? Think about it.

Also, he could have spread this material in his sweat, or any other bodily fluid or solid, and contaminated those planes and locations. I doubt he was smuggling it, although that is a pretty good theory. But it's not like this is nuclear grade yellow cake, or anything very useful to smuggle.

Polonium 210 is pretty harmless unless ingested because Alpha particles put off by it are what harm your internal organs that don't have epidermis layers to protect them, like mentioned before. Even a thin layer of cellophane plastic can stop alpha particles from hurting you.

I work at a Nuclear Power Plant, and I am a licensed radiographer so I have a pretty good understanding of sources of radiation. Believe me, if ordinary people wanted to get ahold of a strong source of radiation to harm others, there are better ways than to melt down brushes with Polonium 210.

Let's leave aside the political nuclear power and waste-bashing banter for another day since this discussion doesn't have anything to do with that. The author was poking fun at the idea that the same type of material that killed Alexander Litvinenko is available on the Internet. Kind of like saying that the same caliber of rifle ammunition that killed JFK can be bought at your local hardware store.

Polonium for sale

James — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:54:08 GMT

Alan: Just a correction, a nanocurie is 37, not 32 events per second. A curie is 37 gigabecquerels, which is where he's getting the nanocurie figure. As far as alpha particles being more damaging, that's only true if they are ingested or inhaled. Outside the body it should be blocked by the skin. The eyes of course are an exception.

Polonium for sale

Surfer Dude~Newport Beach,Cali — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 02:39:01 GMT

Aloha from So Cali~~I'm just a kinda surfer dude but I liked everyones Ideas and Information~~my Thoughts would Include INFORMATION/MONEY/POWER or Dare I say Perhaps a WOMAN might be Involved!!~~Its either the Work of a WELL-ORGANIZED OPERATION trying to give the Apperance of "Bumbling Fools" Yet KNOWING! Their "MESSAGE" would be "UNDERSTOOD" by 'All Interested Parties'~~or just the work of a perhaps 'JILTED ' Lover Holding a Powerful Position in a "God knows Where>?" Place or Organization. One can certainly View these 'Events' as a Very CUNNING or CARELESS~~ADVENTURE!(hope i didnt misspell to many words! lol)

Polonium for sale

Joe, Mesquite, TX — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:35:01 GMT

Public hysteria over radiation isn't as far fetched as you think. In the 1960's an H-Bomb trigger exploded at Medina Base in San Antonio TX, breaking windows all over town. The USAF sent air sampling planes up, but the data was classified. How many people down wind got cancer in later years? We'll never know because our own government doesn't want us to know. Based on past experience, the public has a right to be hysterical, and our own government is no better than Russia.

Polonium for sale

joe, Mesquite, TX — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:19:13 GMT

From 1943 to 1947 the U.S. Government injected incurable patients in Rochester, NY with Polonium. The Russians have no monopoly on the misuse of science and the public has a right to be hysterical.

Polonium for sale

Stunned N'Amazed, St. Paul, MN — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:54:58 GMT

Did someone actually suggest this whole situation was created by the British government to deflect attention from it's relatively minor role in Iraq? Wow. That's just... wow.

Clearly, the old Soviet power structure is still functioning quite nicely, thank you. They've just decided to use all that knowledge they gathered on organized crime--which they originally compiled as anti-Western propaganda. They're freakin' scholars on the abuse of free-markets AND political opression.

Frankly, Putin is one of the scariest beings on the planet. And he's probably not the worst of the bunch (He just has that "dark, kinky streak of Mick Jagger" a front man needs; with thanks to Hunter S. Thompson for appropriate verbiage).

These souless monsters are probably playing a game of geopolitical 'chess' far more intricate than anyone in the West can bring themselves to imagine.

Polonium for sale

Don't buy into Liberal Hysteria about Radiation — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:42:02 GMT

Keep in mind-
All these "atrocities" we have done; Radiation being just one of the more publicized things, were done 40 to 70 years ago. Now days you can't "burp" as one writer has put it, a single millirem into the environment on American soil without having to report it not only to the government, but also the general public immediately.
So yes, I still consider it silly to be hysterical about something when we have it pretty well under control, and well in the public's eye.
I liken it to being hysterical about the Dyson vacuum, because I don't understand exactly how it works, someday it might kill me :)

Polonium for sale

BG, Scottsdale, AZ, USA — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:58:41 GMT

RR in Fort Lauderdale:
"Try to think United Nations and NATO. All of us acting together for the good of the planet's people...this is not an Empire mentality, it is a socially acceptable way for the worlds majority to deal with issues that threaten the good of most."

I'm sorry, did you just use United Nations and NATO in the same paragraph as "acting"? I think we've all learned quite painfully that the last things that these big quasi-global alliances do is act on anything other than personal profit. Sure, NATO had its place - 57 years ago - but it's now a dinosaur. The United Nations is less a global savior and more a gathering of misfits looking to line their pockets, à la the cantina full of aliens in the original Star Wars movie. Just solicit the opinions of any of the millions of people out there who are either getting gassed, hacked with machetes, or shot in the back of the skull while kneeling on the edge of a mass grave. NATO has absolutely nothing to do with that, but where's the UN?

You do paint a nice utopian picture, RR, and the idealist in me hears what you're saying but unfortunately I'm stuck here in the real world. In this world nuclear power offers an acceptable ROI with acceptable risks and acceptable contamination. If the US proclaims, in the interests of environmentalism, to abandon nuclear power and oil and coal and all things dirty, and take up solar and wind and fuel cell and whatnot, then the rest of the world will laugh as we crumble into nothing. You see, the world is full of opportunists, not idealists. If you decide to be an idealist, then you need to get over into the right lane so the rest of the world can pass. There's no getting around that fact.

Polonium for sale

joe, Mesquite, TX — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:30:51 GMT

If they poisoned his food with radiation wouldn't he have seen that his food was glowing green.

Polonium for sale

joe, Mesquite, TX — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:15:52 GMT

Some moderator you guys have. I didn't know there were two of me, and that one thinks polonium causes food to glow green? The incident in San Antonio was on November 13th, 1963 (I was there). Those who mock history are doomed to repeat it even if the conservative right doesn't think so. Try looking for more "recent" incidents, and I assure you--you'll find them. As to the other "me"--why don't you use your own identity, instead of trying to make me look foolish?

Polonium for sale

William Oliver, Buckinghamshire, UK — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 15:52:20 GMT

"How much better our environment would be today if more of our energy needs were met by nuclear power instead of gas or coal, and maybe even hydro (dams destroy fish)". Nyle, Boise ID

You might like to consider the problem of Peak Uranium like Peak Oil, our supplies of energy efficiently extracted Uranium seem to be dwindling.

Here a link to a site that describes some of the issues, sadly though the interesting details of Peak Uranium are in the subscriber only section.

"The Uranium Crisis, By Carlton Meyer, Nov/30/2006"
http://www.sandersresearch.com

So although there is plenty of uranium remaining in the ground the commercial economics of mining transport and extracting are now being called into questioned since the military requirements for uranium and associated economics have been drastically reduced.

Now, that's an interesting thought for our future!?

Polonium for sale

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 17:32:22 GMT

William Oliver, Yes... I too have heard about Peak Uranium. Last summer, National Geographic ran an article (called "After Oil" I believe) where they briefly said that Uranium supplies are likely to dwindle by 2050. They gave no further information or references and only said that the only way to get around this is with so called Breeder Reactors, which produce weapons grade materials. Similarly, Scientific America just ran a single subject issue on Energy beyond carbon where (on page 105) they also mention Uranium running out. Ironically the same issue seemed to argue that Uranium could still be mined afterwards in another article but at greater and greater cost... To me it is a temporary solution that can be safe in limited form but will certainly be replaced as a viable energy source as technology in Fusion and in Solar, Wind, and Geothermal progress. Why risk anything if you don't have to? Even under ideal situations modern and safe reactors still pose a threat if attacked or "abandoned" during some debilitating economic strife. New Ideas into geothermal seem to be quite promising... Nuclear energy just seems like a cop-out (a temporary band aid)... It seems to suggest that we can tackle something as potentially extreme as global warming just by switching over. I tend to think that it will take everything humanity has up its sleeves. Working at home in sub-industrial-scale shops and making and growing most products and food for ourselves is at the very heart of what we need to do. It makes sense for many reasons so it isn't like if global warming never pans out it would be a waste. My recommendation has always been to live communally with highly skilled residents to become near self-sufficient, but even Las Angeles has a good plan of making a small community more independent with work and recreation areas right in the same 2-mile-wide area to help reduce ungodly traffic.

Polonium for sale

Don't buy into Liberal Hysteria about Radiation — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:21:36 GMT

Chris Eldridge,

Again this off the topic of the thread, but....
Your thoughts are noble, and fairly well thought out and received.
Call me a pessimist if you will, but our "Western civilization", will always go for commercialized living.
Saying we need to use geothermal, or electric cars is as naïve as saying starting tomorrow we will instate world peace.
Yes it makes perfect sense, but it will likely never happen. It takes America 5 years to mandate the increased fuel economy of 3 miles-per-gallon to auto manufacturers. And the government shouldn’t have to mandate it!
If people are taken by the idea of communal living, a change of climate to say China, or a third world country like Africa might be an option. Although Africa is where the world is testing new breeds of reactors that the rest of the world doesn't want tested on their soil.
There are a lot of things in this world that should happen based on our morals and beliefs, but getting them instated and used sometimes takes many generations, if at all. Also keep in mind the world is always looking to travel away from their destinations of origin. From the aboriginal Indians to space explorers, mankind has always expanded out. Perhaps because of his search for the proverbial greener grass. Ahhhh, Utopia.
By the way, I for one, would love to live and work locally, and use geothermal and solar/wind energies. So, do not think that I am disagreeing with your ideas.

Polonium for sale

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:58:18 GMT

Thanks Anti-Liberal-Hysteria-Person! :) I don't blame people for being hesitant to adopt every new innovation that comes along. In fact, not going full tilt into solar energy in the 1970s, for example, may have actaully been pretty smart as it was not only very expensive, it also had very low efficiency back then. It is only with all the latest tech that it is becoming cost effective. I do think people would respond to the right technology or innovation when they see it. A society's general complacency forces engineers and environmentalists to offer solutions that not only lower our overall impact but actually improve our quality of life in the process. We are so advanced as a culture that there is no reason to think that we can't do both. Look at how people took to home computers and air-travel. When the right idea comes along it will just be the natural thing to do for all of us. Our current live/work arrangements certainly leave a lot of room for improvememt! I've typically not been too thrilled about geothermal on a home level. However, some group recently noted how ultra-deep oil wells use some injection process and by using this ultra deep (30,000+ ft I'll assume) method for geothermal, it could yield something like 100,000 times more energy than the entire earth currently uses... That--to me--seems like just a wee bit of progress. It is those types of break-throughs that will eventually become a no-brainer over all other forms of energy and there seem to be more than a few such potential sources.

Polonium for sale

Michael Silver, Los Angeles, CA — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 20:42:54 GMT

I thought the American Elements website would be a useful resource. It provides details on Polonium 210 and 100s of other isotopes, nanomaterials, fuel cell materials, etc. (Disclaimer: I'm an engineer with the company!)

Polonium for sale

Michael Silver Los Angeles, CA — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 20:45:50 GMT

Oh forgot to mention its at www.americanelements.com Cheers!!

Polonium for sale

Kaiserin Shaahnaah dyz Athlandys, Atlantis, — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 06:56:52 GMT

Polonium-210 - who is going to clean London, help the people to die decently as the polonium has traced the terrorists inside the nhs but who cares.

Invisible destruction not covered by any insurance,
the best weapon to kill but Allaah has decided to
trace criminals with polonium-233, His Hand will destroy them in a way to turn off the sun and all life on this beautiful earth.

AXA, Van Breda : Ant - werpen.
The statue of the Liberty - He will cut its hand.

Greetings.

shaahnaah

Polonium for sale

Gabrielle Saporta, Seattle, Wash. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:49:43 GMT

How much exactly IS a unit of polonium? I have searched everywhere one the internet and all people can seem to say is that it is sixty-nine dollars a unit. But how much is that?